TAIPEI — NBA sensation Jeremy Lin has been selected by Time Magazine at the top of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” for 2012 in recognition for his touching and inspiring stories in basketball.

The world’s top-ranked woman golfer Yani Tseng of Taiwan, who Time praised as a rare talent with the ability to energize a new generation of LPGA fans, also made the annual list in honor of her outstanding performance in golf.

The magazine commented that Tseng will get even better as she gains experience and her potential both as a player and as an ambassador for the game is limitless.

In a eulogy, the U.S. magazine lauded Lin, the first American-born NBA player of Taiwanese descent, as a hard worker who stayed humble. “He lives the right way; he plays the right ways,” it added.

Lin’s story tells people that if you show grit, discipline and integrity, you too can get an opportunity to overcome the odds, Time said.

His story is also a great lesson for kids everywhere because it debunks and defangs so many of the prejudices and stereotypes that unfairly hold children back, Time said.

Each year, Time invites its readers around the world to vote online for “the leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes who they think are the most influential people in the world for that particular year.”

Lin, who rose from obscurity to global superstardom after leading the struggling New York Knicks to a seven-game winning streak in February, ranked ninth in the online poll to make the Time 100, garnering nearly 90,000 votes.

Time magazine editors’ “weighted” vote made him on top of the list, which was released Wednesday.

Lin, will attend Time 100 Gala at Lincoln Center on April 24 along with an eclectic mix of celebrities, including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Global pop diva Rihanna will perform at the gala, which will also feature a keynote speech by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Last year, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, founder of Taiwan’s largest charity — the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation — was selected as one of the world’s 100 most influential figures in recognition of her lifelong philanthropy.

In 2010, Chen Shu-chu, a vegetable vendor living in eastern Taiwan’s Taitung County, was honored for her generous donations to public interest projects, including helping her alma mater build a library.